Video of migrant workers protest in Hyderabad shared as Ahmedabad

A video of a huge crowd chanting slogans is viral on social media. It is being claimed that the video is from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city where people are out on the streets with demands for ration and are chanting, “राशन दो या गोली दो (either give ration or give a bullet -translated)”. A post, by Facebook page ‘news24ncr‘, carrying the video, has garnered more than 1,500 shares so far.

Delhi University professor and social activist Dr Suraj Yadav Mandal tweeted the video with the same claim.

अहमदाबाद (गुजरात)में सड़को पर निकले लोग…
*राशन दो या गोली दो…
ये कैसा गुजरात मॉडल है भाई?#अडाणी_अम्बानी_मोदी_संघ_सरकार #ModiGovtFailsIndia pic.twitter.com/ffyYEG1pgh

— Dr Suraj Yadav Mandal डॉ सूरज मंडल ڈاکٹر سورج منڈل (@suraj_yadav2005) May 8, 2020

Several other people on Facebook and Twitter posted the video with the message, “अहमदाबाद (गुजरात) में सड़को पर निकले लोग.? राशन दो या गोली दो.?”.

Fact-check

At the beginning of the video, we can spot a policeman wearing a jacket with “Hyderabad City Police” written on it.

With a relevant keyword search based on this clue, Alt News found the same video tweeted by The Hindu on May 3. According to the tweet, migrant workers in Hyderbad marched towards Golconda, the western part of the city, urging the government to send them back to their respective states. The protest included migrants from Banjara Hills, Golconda, Asif Nagar, Humayun Nagar.

#COVID19 #TELANGANA Migrant workers living in Banjara Hills Golconda Asifnagar Humayunnagar march towards Tolichowki in Golconda in western part of Hyderabad urging government to send them back to their respective States @MARRIRAMU @TelanganaCMO @TelanganaDGP pic.twitter.com/ASHGbEukAk

— The Hindu-Hyderabad (@THHyderabad) May 3, 2020

According to a May 3 Time of India report, over 1,000 migrant labourers had gathered at Tolichowki area in Hyderabad following rumours that the government would operate special trains for them. After the police assured them that arrangments for food would be made, they left. “We collected their names and told them that as and when arrangments for trains and buses are made, we will inform them,” said DCP (West Zone) A R Srinivas.

Hyderabad-based Urdu newspaper The Siasat Dialy also posted a video of the incident.

In conclusion, a video of migrant labourers gathered at Tolichowki area of Hyderbad was shared as Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Migrant workers at the Tolichowki demanded the government to arrange for their travel to go to their native states. Moreover, there is no mention of the slogan – “either you give ration or give a bullet” – in the video as well as the media reports related to the incident. Thus, the claim about these slogans being raised by the crowd also seems to be false.